Oles takes name off list for Mahoning treasurer post

Austintown Trustee Lisa Oles’ time as a Mahoning County treasurer candidate was short and is over.

Oles wrote in a Friday email to The Vindicator that she made the decision to withdraw as a candidate for the vacant seat “after further soul-searching” and that her “commitment to Austintown takes precedence over anything else at this time.”

Lisa Antonini, a former county Democratic Party chairwoman, resigned as treasurer Monday after being charged federally with honest-services mail fraud for taking and failing to report a $3,000 cash contribution for her campaign in 2008.

County Democratic Party precinct committee members will vote June 6 on Antonini’s replacement.

Candidates have until May 31 to submit letters of interest for the appointment to Party Chairman David Betras.

Carano also is the party’s executive vice chairman, parliamentarian and elections-committee chairman.

Oles said she withdrew Friday, three days after officially applying for the appointment, because s he’s focused on getting a township senior levy passed in November and “to address the water monopoly Youngstown is trying to create.”

Youngstown, which provides water to Austintown with a 40-percent surcharge, recently signed a long-term deal with Aqua Ohio to provide that company with water. Officials with Austintown, Boardman and Canfield townships had discussed Aqua’s possibly providing water.

But the Youngstown-Aqua deal includes a “no-compete” clause.

Oles is up for re-election as trustee in November.

“In addition, it did not feel right for me to be competing against Ken Carano, an Austintown resident, as Ken and I have worked together on numerous projects to benefit the veterans in our area,” Oles wrote in the email. “I wish Ken well.SDRq